Rethreading tool



Sept. 11, 1951 R. LE BRON ETAL 2,567,849

RETHREADING TOOL Filed March 4, 1946 Inventors R. Le Bron W. HeckPatented Sept. 11,1951 I 1 RETHREADING TOOL- Roderick Le Bron andWilliam R. Heck,

Omaha, Nebr.

Application March 4, 1946; Serial No. 651,861

2 Claims.

This invention relates to rethreading tools, and has for its primaryobject the provision of a simple, rugged and inexpensive tool wherebythe threads of various sized pipes and bolts may be readilystraightened, cleaned and chased.

Another object of this invention is the arrangement of adjustablethread-cutting and threadentering guide members on a body portion sothat either may quickly be moved as desired by rotating one of twoknurled nuts mounted in juxtaposition on the body portion. I

A further object of this invention is the provision of a tool that willstraighten and reform damaged metal threads and cut them deeper, ifdesired, as well as remove rust, hardened scale, lead, etc., from thethreaded portions of pipes and nuts of various diameters.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followindescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawingsillustrat-.

ing a preferred embodiment of our improved re- 7 threading tool, andwherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation of our improved rethreading tool;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a perspective viewthereof; and, t Fig. 4 is a view showing several component elements inelevation.

Referring now to the drawings, the reference numeral 5 designates thebody portion of our improved rethreading tool, which body portion isprovided with a pair of spaced sockets of different lengths, marked6-and 1 respectively, and herein shown as extending longitudinally ofthe body portion 5 in parallel relation. Oneof the sockets, as 6,terminates adjacent the junction of a pair of guide arms 8 herein shownas arranged at substantially right angles to each other to form asemi-square, with each arm extending at substantially 45 from the upperextremity of socket 6. Guide arms 8 are preferably integrally formedwith the body portion 5, substantially as shown, and one arm, as BA, isjoined to the other socket, as 1, whereby a strong, rigid rethreadingtool is readily formed with a reinforced body portion capable of beinggripped in a vise while pipes or bolts are being turned relativelythereto, or which way be used as a tool handle to rotate the tool aroundfixed pipes or bolts. One of the guide arms 8 extends laterally beyondthe body portion 5 on the side of the shorter socket 6 and is slottedfrom its free extremity through the major portion of its length, as bestshown at 8B in Fig. 3, the slot serving as a guide for the advance andretraction of the cooperating pipe or bolt engaging member 9, thebevelled inner edge portions 9A of which are adapted to enter thethreads of the pipe or bolt being chased.

(Fig.1.) As herein shown, the bevelled inner edge portions 9A arearranged at substantially right angles to each other to form asemi-square, which is reversely arranged with respect to the semi-squareformed by the guide arms 8 of the body portion 5 and cooperatestherewith to form a virtual square, adjustable in area and in which thepipe or bolt to be treatedis received.

The bolt engagin member 9 is provided at one edge with an elongatedthreaded post 9C adapted to extend through a suitable aperture 8C (Fig.3) in guide arm 8A into the longer socket 1 of the body portion andthreading into knurled nut l0 arranged in a recess 1A intermediate theends of the socket. Nut If! is suitably journalled in socket 7 so thatits rotation in the proper direction will serve to advance the bevellededge portions 9A toward guide arms 8 or retract them therefrom. Theopposite edge of member 9 is provided with a depending portion 9B ofslightly less width than the width of guide slot 8B wherein it travelsas member 9 is advanced or retracted. Member 9 is thereby held againstrotation With knurled nut III, while sufi'icient side play is permittedto enable bevelled edges 9A to seat within the threads of pipes or boltsbeing treated despite variations in pitch of threads, pipe diameters,etc. The bevelled edges 9A may also be formed to ride in succeedingthreads of pipes and bolts being treated.

A cutter H is adjustably mounted in socket 6, extending through anaperture in guide arms 8 adjacent the juncture thereof and having anelongated threaded portion meshing into knurled nut [2 arranged in arecess 6A of the socket. Nut I2 is suitably journalled in socket 6 sothat its rotation in the proper direction will serve to either advanceor retract the cutter H as desired. The cutter edge (or edges) may beformed of hardened metal shaped to correspond with standard pipe threadsor, if desire, to deepen the cut and reform the threads in addition tocleanin and chasing the old threads.

In use, the body portion 5 maybe suitably secured with the guide arms 8in substantially the position shown in Fig. 1, and the pipe or bolt tobe treated inserted between such guide arms and the cooperating member9. The position of member 9 is first adjusted to give ample clearancefor the pipe or bolt, and the cutter l I adjusted to approximately itsposition of use. Then after the pipe or bolt has been positioned withits threaded portion engaging the cutter H the member 9 is drawn downinto firm engagement with the upper portion of the pipe or bolt, itsbevelled inner edge portions 9A entering the threads so as to aid inmaintaining the pipe or bolt in desired position relatively to thecutter II while the pipe or bolt is being rotated. The cutter ll mayalso have to be adjusted into final position after member 9 has beenadjusted, but the adjustment of member 9 alone is often surficient toforce the cutter II into the threads to the desired depth.

In some instances it is preferred to clamp the pipe or bolt and revolvethe tool around it. The tool is passed over the end of the pipeor bolt,but after bevelled edges 9A of member 9 and the cutter II have beensuitably positioned within the threads the tool is moved around the pipeor bolt, the body portion bein used as a handle. Also the cutter headmay be so adjusted relatively to bevelled edges 9A of member 9 as toenter different threads of the pipe or bolt, whereby the threads may becleaned by edges 9A before being recut by cutter H or, reversely, marredor deformed portions of threads being recut before such portions contactbevelled edge poritions 9A.

effectively on both right and lei-t hand threads, cleaning,straightening and, where desired, cut- "ting deeper threads leading ineither direction. "The portion l [A of the cutter between the cutterlhead and its threaded portion 'is shaped to cooperate with a similarlyshaped aperture in guide arms '8 to prevent rotation of the cutter whenknurled nut I2 is rotated. Various polygonal shapes may be employed. Tomaintain the cutter H in any adjusted position, a set screw 1 3 isprovided. (Figs. 1 and 22.)

It will also be apparent that in some instances the guide member '9 maybe dispensed with. For example, when a pipe or bolt to be treated is oftoo great diameter to 'enter the square formed by guide arm's 8 andbevelled edges 9 A of member 9, the member 9 may be removed from bodyportion b "of the rethrea'ding teo'l, aurii the large pipe or boltallowed to rest upon one guide arm '8 and 'the c'u'tter head H. Theweight of so massive -a pipe or bolt would be sufficient to maintainthe-cutter head ll withinthegroov'es of the threads.

From the above it will be apparent that -'our improved rethreading toolis simple in 'construc tion, is'co'mpo'sed-of feW, rugged andinexpensive parts, and is capable of being rea'dily adjusted for use onpipes or bolts of widely varying diameters.

While the illustrated embodiment is believed to sufficiently disclosethe construction anda'dvantages of our rethreading tool, it is to beun-' derstood that various changes and modifications may be made thereinWithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as definedin the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A rethreading tool comprising a body portion having a pair of socketsof different lengths at its side edges, a pair of guide arms extendinglaterally and upwardly from the top of the shorter socket, one of saidguide arms extending to and forming the upper portion of the longersocket and the other guide arm extending laterally beyond said bodyportion on the side of the shorter socket, the latter guide arm beingslotted from its free upper extremity to a point adjacent said shortersocket, said guide arms being apertured adjacent their junction inalignment with said shorter socket and the first-mentioned guide armbeing apertured in alignment with said longer socket, a cutteradjustably mounted in said shorter socket and extending upwardly beyondsaid guide arms, and a bolt thread engaging member adjustably mounted inand extending above said longer socket and having a depending guideportion extending through said slot in the second-mentioned guide arm,said thread engaging member having angularly disposed bevelled portionsadapted to enter the threads of a bolt being chased at spaced pointsremote from the point of contact of said cutter with such bolt.

2. A rethreading tool as recited in claim 1 wherein both the cutter andthe bolt thread engaging member are provided with threaded shankportions extending into their respective sockets, and saidbody portionis provided with a pair of recesses respectively extending from itssides across said sockets, a knurled nut being arranged in each recessand threaded onto one of said threaded shank portions.

RODERICK LE :BRON. WILLIAM R. HECK.

REFERENCE S CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name .Date

73,813 Kirk Jan. 28,1868 467,773 Maule Sept. 14, 1875 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 1,648 Great Britain May '7, 1873 59,320 Norway May'2, .1938 740 Germany Aug. 5, 1877

